Silchester Roman City Walls and Amphitheatre

About

Originally a tribal centre of the Iron Age Atrebates, Silchester, an English Heritage site became the large and important Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum.

Unlike most Roman towns, it was never re-occupied or built over after its abandonment in the 5th century, so archaeological investigations give an unusually complete picture of its development.

The University of Reading has been excavating a particular part of the town, a residential area known as insula IX, every summer since 1997. Early excavations, particularly those of the Revd Joyce and the Society of Antiquaries (1890–1909), revealed the plans of all the stone buildings. After this, only small-scale excavations took place until the 1980s when the forum basilica and the amphitheatre were investigated.

A variety of finds, including pottery, metalwork, and animal and plant remains are being studied in a chronological sequence in relation to the buildings. The way they change provides insight into the status, lifestyle and occupations of the inhabitants, and their links beyond this town.